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  PRAISE FOR

  Above the Star

  “A twisty tale with an otherworldly setting that readers will happily revisit.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “Though reminiscent of beloved fantasies—think A Wrinkle in Time meets The Princess Bride—Above the Star is a magical rendition of a wholly creative tale. Chute imagines unheard of lands, mythical characters, and irresistible folklore, weaving all the magic together with what we know to be true: everyone is searching for something. Her sympathy for the characters—both human and not—is palpable, leaving even the most despicable anti-heroes with room for redemption. And while the story is relentless in its conflict, there are enough moments of tenderness to keep the reader from being overwhelmed. Above the Star is as fanciful as it is grounded, and as gritty as it is fantastic. Chute’s visual, visceral storytelling will pull you into a reality you never saw coming and a world you’ll be sad to leave behind.”

  —Lee Lee Thompson, publisher of The Perpetual You magazine

  “Above the Star is one weird and wild ride full of memorable characters created by an imaginative writer. A mesmerizing and other-worldly read that kept me off-balance from beginning to end. Think of Star Wars, The Lord of The Rings and Homer’s Odyssey all wrapped up together in a gift box called Above the Star. A spellbinding tale of a hero’s quest to save his daughter from the clutches of illness and evil.”

  —Raymond Gariepy, editor of WestWord magazine

  “Chute’s debut fantasy novel takes you on an exhilarating trip to an enchanting, dangerous world where adventure, discovery, and the cure to a young girl’s illness awaits . . . Above the Star is the enticing first installment to The 8th Island Trilogy fantasy series.”

  —Naomi Maharaj, Masters of Library Information Studies

  Above the Star is a creative tour de force from the wildly talented author/artist Alexis Marie Chute. Part adventure, part fantasy, part family saga, part quest, the novel leads its heroines and heroes—some human, some extra-human—into peril and redemption, love and loss, and terrors generated by both illness and magic until they finally emerge into a world where courage makes everything possible. The first in The 8th Island Trilogy, Above the Star ingenuously incorporates Chute’s own drawings as important clues that keep the tale racing forward. Her images help to create a strange new world so thoroughly real that when you put the book down—if you do—you won’t remember where you are.

  —Pamela Petro, author of Sitting up with the Dead and the artist’s book AfterShadows

  “Alexis Marie Chute’s vivid, descriptive passages transported me into a fantastic yet dangerous world. But this is more than an incredible voyage; this is a story about family—it raises the question: How far would a parent go to save the life of a child? You will cheer for Ella, as she transforms from helpless victim to savvy heroine, spurred to greatness by her strange new allies. This is a book that combines adventure, mysticism and also offers a worthy character study.”

  —Steven Sandor, editor of Avenue Magazine

  “In this endlessly inventive fantasy, Alexis Marie Chute handles a prismatic but utterly compelling plot with the skill of an expert storyteller, effortlessly blending the magical and the matter-of-fact. Chute’s imagination evokes a dazzling, sometimes scary, world—a world both enchanted and cursed—but her deepest strength may be her gift for creating indelible characters. The more we get to know the book’s three intrepid heroes, the more time we want to spend with them. Above the Star is a wild ride indeed, and we gratefully go along for the ride, not just for the adventures, but also for the company we keep.”

  —Steven Cramer, author of Clangings and Goodbye to the Orchard

  “Infused with the mysterious and the fantastical, Above the Star is both a page-turning story of a young girl’s coming-of-age and a gripping tale of a family’s journey through illness, grief, and healing. Chute is writer of psychological acuity whose language and images transport the reader into this fascinating world filled with heart. Above the Star will leave readers reluctant to leave this magical world and breathlessly awaiting more.”

  —Laurie Foos, author of Ex Utero and The Blue Girl

  “Above the Star is a fantastical fast-paced quest, anchored in the familial–in this case, a father’s desire to find his missing son and to care for his teenaged granddaughter. It is parental love to the extreme, beyond all bounds, even into the next dimension. Chute’s experience as an award-winning artist brings Above the Star to life with her visual storytelling, clearly crafting an entirely new world, and through the thought-provoking ink illustrations. Above the Star shows readers that there is a power within all of us to change the world, right where we are.”

  —Jessica Kluthe, author of Rosina, The Midwife

  “Above the Star is an adrenaline-charged ride that grips you tight! Just when you think you know what’s coming next, you’re hit with a new twist! With relatable characters (some that are out of this world), expressive description, and an attention-grabbing premise, book one of The 8th Island Trilogy leaves you breathless in anticipation of what’s to come in the next installment.”

  —Adrianne Baker, Librarian

  “Get ready to be lost and then found in a world of intrigue, suspense, and love. Time will stand still as you travel through dimensions to the far-off land of Jarr-Wya and engage in a battle between good and evil. You may just discover Naiu inside of yourself as you fight alongside the heroes of Above the Star to find a cure and a way back home.”

  —Donloree Hoffman, author of If I Die, Please Bring Cheesecake to My Funeral

  “Fasten your seat belts and break out the life preservers. Above the Star, the first book in Alexis Marie Chute’s The 8th Island Trilogy sucks the reader, as well as a cruise ship, through a dimensional portal into a world filled with compulsive stony beings, fiery philosophers, and deliciously dangerous and horrifyingly sentient crushed shell people. Propelled by a grandfather’s determination to save the life of his dying teenaged granddaughter, Chute’s exquisite prose powers a rollicking roller coaster of a tale filled with the kinds of twists and turns that will leave even the most stalwart of armchair adventurers breathless.”

  —Mindy Tarquini, award-winning author of The Infinite Now and Hindsight

  “In Above the Star, a regular family with heartbreaking problems enters a world of epic adventures and the possibility of extraordinary solutions. Alexis Marie Chute manages to tell a fantastical tale that is also deeply human.”

  —Todd Babiak, author of Son of France

  “Above the Star is a debut fantasy novel by Canadian author-artist Alexis Marie Chute. Like Alexis Marie herself, this novel has unexpected corners and charmingly quirky characters. This piece would be just another adventure-fantasy, were it not for the main character of Ella, a 14-year-old girl who doesn’t speak. Ella is seriously ill and deteriorating, and the novel’s quest is for her family (grumpy grandpa Archie, strong-willed mother Tessa) to find her a cure by whatever means possible. Including a journey to a planet-world that no-one has ever heard of in company with Zeno, a yellow-eyed mystic who sports stones on his face, and various other strange beings who inhabit the world of Jarr-Wya. This imaginative tour-de-force is outstanding for the sensitive treatment given to Ella, who despite her illness shines quietly as an emerging character. Highly recommended for Middle Grade and their parents.”

  —Cynthia Sally Haggard, author of Thwarted Queen and Farewell My Life

  An amazing novel that easily transports you to another world. Filled with excitement and adventure, Above the Star is a must read!

  —Maya Breen, grade 11 student

  Centered around a magical underworld in the sea off the west coast of Africa, Above the Star is a lively tale of h
ope, loss, and love written with layers of visual detail to draw a reader in to Jarr-Wya where sand, fire, glass and water take on political dimensions as the Wellsley family seeks a cure for their 14-year-old daughter Ella’s terminal illness. Naiu, the life force of the world of Jarr-Wya, combines with desire to permit earthlings and Jarr-Wya natives to cross over between realms using a magic tool, the Tillastrion. The intermingling of mythology and imagination fuel this exploration of good, evil, and the unintended consequences of risky choices. Fast-paced and engaging, Above the Star will fascinate readers.

  —Casandra Goldwater, word-and-image photographer, writer and professor

  Above the Star

  Copyright © 2018 Alexis Marie Chute

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Published by SparkPress, a BookSparks imprint,

  A division of SparkPoint Studio, LLC

  Tempe, Arizona, USA, 85281

  www.gosparkpress.com

  Published 2018

  Printed in the United States of America

  ISBN: 978-1-943006-56-4 (pbk)

  ISBN: 978-1-943006-57-1 (e-bk)

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018931875

  Illustrations by Alexis Marie Chute

  Book design by Stacey Aaronson

  All company and/or product names may be trade names, logos, trademarks, and/or registered trademarks and are the property of their respective owners.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  For Aaron, Hannah, Zachary, Eden, and Luca.

  My inspirations and fellow adventurers.

  Chapter 1

  The Atlantic Odyssey awaits its passengers at the mainland of the Spanish harbor, sitting stoic and stable in the water like the architecture that grows out of the sea along the coastline. “It’ll be okay,” Tessa says to herself, shading her pale-green eyes against the ship’s reflection of the smoldering Barcelona sun. “The cruise ship isn’t even rocking.” The breeze threatens to billow upward Tessa’s turquoise, gingham-checkered circle skirt that she grips tightly to her legs. She swallows hard and plants her feet wide on the dock, attempting to calm the motion sickness already curling in her stomach at the sight of the unsettled water, which cracks indignantly against the weathered wood of the harbor’s jetties and splashes up the side of the ship. Its foam reaches for the portholes. The distant horizon is shadowed with a faint though expanding darkness.

  Fourteen-year-old Ella stands beside her mother, her drawing-journal and artist pens clutched in one hand and her school library’s stained copy of an anatomy guide for illustrators in the other. Ella pays no attention to the weather—in her colorful leggings and oversized black t-shirt—but for the wind’s bending and crinkling the pages she studies. She snaps the book shut and taps Tessa’s bare arm, her mother’s goosebumped skin exposed in her fitted white tank top tucked into the high waist of her skirt. “What is it, Ell?” Tessa smiles and gathers Ella’s long, honey-blond bangs behind her ears, but it’s no use. The wind, gentle at dawn, is now tipping over the wide-brimmed hats of the tourists studying their cruise itineraries and maps, and braiding the hair of women shifting their weight from one sandaled foot to the other, impatient to board.

  “Exciting, isn’t it?” Tessa adds.

  Ella swings her backpack around her shoulder to her chest and tucks away her book and drawing tools, then begins to gesture with her hands, signing a word from American Sign Language. Her palm faces her forehead, her fingers fanned, and in a downward swooping gesture, ending at her chin, she closes her fingers to her thumb, also shutting her eyes. She repeats this several times. Her midnight-blue-painted nails complement her icy-colored eyes that quickly flick open to ensure her message is received.

  Tessa recognizes the sign and answers, “Sleeping.”

  Ella nods, then points first to herself, then to Tessa, and finally to an old man sitting on a splintered wooden bench a few paces away. His weathered face and drooping nose are nearly wedged between the pages of a scuffed leather book that he reads intently, protectively, his shoulders hunched in his khaki coat to block the view.

  Ella finishes her thought by raising her index finger and pivoting her hand side to side, signing the word where. She scrunches her eyebrows together, the language’s method for communicating a question.

  “Sleep. You. Me. Grandpa . . .” Tessa says, piecing together her daughter’s question. Ella had not spoken in six months, ever since a seizure had spasmed through her petite body. It confirmed the worst: Ella’s brain tumor had grown.

  Tessa brightens with understanding. “Where will we sleep on the cruise? Well, you and I are going to share a cabin. It’ll be like a long sleepover. That’ll give us plenty of girl time. Grandpa Archie will have his own cabin.” Tessa looks over at her father-in-law. Her smile slowly fades.

  ARCHIE moved in with Tessa and her husband—the ever-optimistic, studiously handsome Arden—when Ella was seven years old. Arden had worried about his father’s wellbeing after his mom died. “It won’t be permanent; just a few months while Dad finds a smaller place and adjusts. I’ll make sure he behaves,” Arden promised.

  Not even a week had passed before Archie’s wool socks were tucked into every crevice of the couch and his stained mouthguard lay forgotten in his cup of Earl Grey after breakfast. The walls of their boxy 1960s Seattle bungalow were not thick enough to muffle Archie’s lionlike snores, which woke Ella and sent her from her princess bed to snuggle under the covers with Tessa and Arden. Ella was a wiggler. She would root herself in the center of the bed between her parents and for half an hour rest still before rotating her legs and eventually her torso ever so slightly, like the long and short arms of a clock marking the passage of time.

  It was a sleepless spell for all but Archie, who shuffled out of his room every morning stretching, scratching, yawning, and grinning, while offering a “Good mornin’, everybody!” on a gust of rank breath.

  One week turned into two, two months turned into three, and the years began to multiply. Arden did his best to tidy up after his father and ensure Archie’s robe was fastened after his morning bathroom ritual with the Seattle Times.

  “He’s forgetful, that’s all,” Arden would say, pushing his chunky frames up his nose and brushing aside his dark hair from his forehead, his endearing nervous habits.

  “How did your mom put up with this?” Tessa complained.

  “I’ll talk to Dad.” But Arden never did, for that was the time Ella’s headaches and vomiting began. MRI and CT scans confirmed the presence of the tumor, which was greedily expanding in Ella’s ten-year-old brain and spinal cord. It coiled itself at the base of her skull, so horribly entwined that not even the most skilled pediatric surgeon could extract it.

  The radiation oncologist began external beam therapy to shrink the tumor, but Ella did not understand. The medical team strapped her small body to a chair, so she couldn’t fidget. Her feet dangled an inch above the floor and her chin rested on a plastic oval ledge swung over on a metal arm. The machine that delivered the high-energy x-ray was aimed at the soft, flush-pink skin of Ella’s neck. Tessa could only watch from an attached room where her tears dampened her long blond hair as she pressed her forehead and hands against a pane of glass, her breath fogging the view of her screaming, terrified child.

  Years passed.

  Arden would come home from Seattle University, where he worked as a historian and professor of ancient Egyptian dynasties, only to find Archie pacing on the front steps. “We’ve got to do something, son. I don’t know what, but we need a miracle.” Archie clutched Arden’s shoulders so tightly that his fingertips turned white, until Arden shrugged hard out of his father’s grip. Archie and Ella, his only grandchild, had developed a playful
and protective bond in the five years of sharing a hall bathroom and a host of inside jokes.

  Father and son would stand without words on the front steps for what seemed like hours. Arden removed his glasses and ran his fingers along his eyelashes, brooding silently. Archie wrung his handkerchief between his deeply creased palms until its fibers frayed and fell to the ground. The younger of the two men would cross the threshold first, only to find a pale Ella asleep on Tessa’s lap where they sat on the dated kitchen tiles, with whatever dinner his wife was cooking burning in the pot. The whole house reeked of vomit and charred food. Tessa simply looked up at Arden with hollow eyes.

  A chipper young woman in a white skirt and blue blazer, with a gold crest embroidered on its breast, switches on a portable microphone and speaker. It shrieks loudly. “Welcome to Constellations Cruise Line!” she begins, attaching the mic to a flimsy stand. “My name is Valarie and I am your cruise director. Our team is full of nautical knowledge—and insider tips on the local landscape and culture—so don’t be a stranger! We will board in a moment—please excuse this brief delay—but while we wait, it is my immense pleasure to introduce Captain Nathanial Billows, who will be guiding us through Spain’s Canary Islands on this proud vessel, the Atlantic Odyssey.” Valarie gestures to the tall, broad-shouldered man beside her—in his early forties Tessa guesses, maybe only five years older than herself—before clapping ardently, cuing the crowd on the waiting platform.

  The captain approaches the microphone. He is dressed in the classic brilliant white seaman’s suit, its ornamental black epaulets decorated with gold lines and the executive curl of the captain’s insignia. “Thank you all, and thank you, Valarie,” he says as he scans the passengers with a confident gaze, bowing his head ever so slightly, his free hand holding the black brim of his stiff white hat up to his chest. “Valarie is our cruise director and leader of guest services. She is more than happy to assist you while on our voyage, both day” —he smiles cheekily at Valarie—“and night.” Valarie blushes and toys with a strand of her shoulder-length brown hair. Her pale face flushes with color. She smooths the front of her blazer.